Chapter 48: Reaching a Consensus
"Sakura! Sakura! I did it—I extracted chakra!"
Naruto rushed up to her, shouting excitedly.
He hadn't forgotten what Sakura had said back at the Uchiha estate:
once his strength was sufficient, she'd finally tell him who his parents were.
"No surprise there—this is the power of the Uzumaki bloodline,
plus Asura's chakra… the sheer amount…"
Sakura looked at the jubilant Naruto with a mix of helplessness and awe.
She could feel it clearly—an enormous chakra presence inside him.
It was his first time extracting chakra, yet the quantity he had already rivaled Kakashi.
While Kakashi's chakra reserves were never especially vast,
Naruto's was still an astonishing amount for a beginner.
On second thought though, it wasn't so shocking.
Naruto carried the blood of the Uzumaki clan, known for their strong life force and massive chakra pools.
Add to that the fact he was the reincarnation of Asura,
and then layer on Kurama's (the Nine-Tails') influence,
who deliberately leaked chakra into Naruto's system through the seal—
and the result was a perfect storm: the colossal reserves she sensed now.
"Still… even with all that chakra, it's practically useless right now.
Kurama's interference makes it impossible for Naruto to control it properly."
Sakura sighed.
If Kakashi had this much chakra, he'd probably be over the moon.
But in Naruto's case, that prideful fox constantly disrupted his chakra flow.
There was still a long road ahead before Naruto could truly master it.
As the sky darkened, the group began saying their goodbyes and heading home.
Lee, Guy, and Kakashi all returned to their respective residences.
Tenten went back to her family estate in the village—
as the daughter of the Land of Fire's top weapons merchant,
the Tenten household certainly lacked for nothing.
Neji, ever the vigilant protector, escorted Hinata back home like a bodyguard,
as if someone might jump out at any moment to threaten her.
Kiba, Shino, Ino, and the rest also went their separate ways.
---
"Sasuke—don't forget the plan!"
Sakura shot a meaningful glance at Sasuke,
reminding him of the discussion they'd had earlier that day.
"…Mm."
Sasuke gave a quiet nod, a trace of melancholy flickering in his eyes.
From this point on, he'd have a sister-in-law—
his older brother Itachi would no longer belong solely to him.
But thinking about it from another angle…
If Itachi chose one person to be with,
that meant fewer people would compete for his brother's affection.
And that thought helped Sasuke feel a bit more at ease.
---
"Is there something urgent Sasuke needs to do?" Itachi asked, curious.
"Oh, nothing important!" Sasuke replied quickly, eyes shifting guiltily.
Trying to change the subject, he suddenly blurted out,
"Hey, brother—why don't you invite Izumi-nee to come home with us?
I treated her badly the other day, so consider this my apology!"
"You don't need to apologize, Sasuke,"
Izumi said with a casual smile.
"I understand—you were just worried Itachi's attention might get taken away.
It's a completely normal reaction."
She hadn't taken Sasuke's past attitude personally.
In fact, she could sympathize with his intense attachment to his older brother.
---
"No way—if Izumi-nee doesn't come with us, I'll feel guilty!"
Sasuke, fully committed to playing matchmaker, pulled out his trump card.
He grabbed Itachi's hand and began shaking it enthusiastically.
"C'mon, big brother! Say something! Invite her to our house, please!"
As someone with an extreme case of brother-worship syndrome,
Itachi could never refuse Sasuke's requests.
Though he wasn't sure what his little brother was scheming,
he still went along with it—and extended the invitation.
This time, Izumi didn't decline.
After all, Itachi personally asking her to visit was something she'd dreamed of countless times.
Now, that dream had finally come true.
Not wanting to interrupt, Shisui tactfully made his exit, heading home alone.
---
Left behind were only Sakura and Naruto.
Seeing that Naruto was still bubbling with excitement,
Sakura grabbed his hand and pulled him along toward the marketplace.
Her parents had been swamped with work lately and barely had time to come home.
Eating alone every night had started to feel… a little too lonely.
But Naruto was also on his own.
So, Sakura made a snap decision:
she'd drag him along, buy some groceries,
and cook dinner at his place tonight.
Uchiha Compound — The Uchiha Household
At the Uchiha residence, Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha—Itachi and Sasuke's parents—nearly thought they were hallucinating.
Their usually stoic, reserved eldest son had just walked through the door…
with a girl.
Not only that, but the two seemed quite familiar with each other.
Could it be… their son was finally showing signs of emotional awareness?!
As parents, they were open-minded enough to not make a fuss.
Bringing home a girl? That was great news!
They'd long been secretly worried about Itachi's love life.
After all, their eldest had always been far too mature and composed.
More than once, they'd quietly wondered whether Itachi might stay single forever.
But now, they could breathe a sigh of relief.
And besides, it's not like he was getting married right away.
Dating took time—when the moment was right and Itachi came of age,
he could then officially bring the girl home as his bride.
---
Unbeknownst to Itachi, his parents had already leapt several years into the future in their minds.
They were even starting to think about what to name their grandchildren.
---
"Mom, Dad—this is Izumi-nee, my brother's childhood friend!"
Sasuke, following Sakura's earlier advice, quickly helped define the relationship between Itachi and Izumi.
"They've always been close!"
"I see, I see. Come in, come in, have a seat!"
Mikoto welcomed Izumi warmly, looking her over with satisfaction.
Not bad at all—pretty, gentle in demeanor, and best of all, someone who had known Itachi since childhood.
That kind of connection laid the perfect foundation for love to grow.
"I'll just call you Izumi, then."
Mikoto took Izumi's hand, already chatting like they were family.
"Itachi's terrible at taking care of himself. He's quiet, and honestly, not very good at making girls happy.
I'll be counting on you to look after him!"
---
Itachi stood there, utterly bewildered.
Why did it feel like his own mother had just thrown him under the bus?
Izumi, for her part, was equally confused.
Wait… what's going on here?
She thought this was just a casual visit—
why did it suddenly feel like she was meeting the parents?!
---
"You've got my aura!" Fugaku declared, clapping a hand on Itachi's shoulder with a hearty laugh.
Itachi: ???
"I was betrothed to your mother as a child," Fugaku went on proudly.
"We grew up together too—childhood sweethearts! Just like you and Izumi."
He looked at his son with rare satisfaction.
"You really are my son—when it comes to picking a girlfriend, you've followed my example perfectly!"
---
Even after dinner, when Itachi was told to walk Izumi home,
he still hadn't recovered from the whirlwind of the evening.
The two walked side by side down a quiet path,
both slightly dazed by what had just happened.
And yet, under the moonlight, their peaceful silence
created a surprisingly natural and harmonious atmosphere.